Return of spring also means a return of allergy flare-ups
S
pring is once again
upon us and with
it, allergy season.
The last couple of
weeks, I have seen a number of people for allergy
flare-ups, a sure sign that
spring is here, even if the
weather doesn’t seem to
agree.
Hay fever, also called
allergic rhinitis or seasonal allergies, is an allergic
response to indoor or outdoor airborne allergens,
such as pollen, dust mites,
or pet dander.
This causes cold-like
symptoms such as runny
nose, congestion, sneezing and sinus pressure.
For many people, hay
fever gets worse at certain
times of year, especially
in the spring, summer or
fall, although some people have hay fever year-

NEEDLE
NOTES

James
Kaufman
round. Hay fever affects
about one in five people
and can begin at any age
but is most likely to develop in childhood or early
adulthood.
Hay fever is due to an
over-reactivity of the immune system where the
immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless airborne substance as
something harmful, and
then starts producing allergy-causing antibodies
in a process called sensitization.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS TO THE
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND
SAFETY REGULATION
AND
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 225
AND 226 OF THE WORKERS
COMPENSATION ACT OF
BRITISH COLUMBIA

Every time the body
comes in contact with the
substance after that, these
antibodies recognize it
and signal the immune
system to react, releasing
chemicals (such as histamine) that lead to the irritating symptoms of hay
fever.
Hay fever can be triggered by either seasonal
or year-round (perennial)
allergens.
Seasonal triggers include tree pollen, grass
pollen, weed pollen, and
spores from fungi and
molds, which can be
worse in warm-weather
months.
Year-round triggers
include dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, or
spores from indoor and
outdoor fungi and molds.
Symptoms of hay fe-

ver usually develop immediately after exposure
to allergens and often start
or worsen at a particular time of year, such as in
the spring when they are
triggered by tree pollen,
grasses, or weeds.
People with sensitivities to indoor allergens
such as dust mites, cockroaches, mold or pet dander may have year-round
symptoms.
Common symptoms
include runny nose and
nasal congestion, watery or itchy eyes, sneezing, cough, itchy nose,
roof of mouth or throat,
sinus pressure and facial
pain, swollen, blue-colored skin under the eyes
(allergic shiners), and decreased sense of smell or
taste.
More intrusive are

symptoms of sleeplessness, fatigue, and irritability.
Treatment may involve over-the-counter
and/or prescription medications to relieve symptoms.
Medications may include nasal or pill-form
corticosteroids to treat and
prevent the inflammation
symptoms, antihistamines
for itching, sneezing, and
runny nose, decongestants, or medications that
have an effect on the immune system.
With Chinese medicine, the lungs, kidney,
and immune system often
play a role in the cause of
hay fever.
Hay fever is very often
due to a kidney deficiency
because the kidneys are
responsible for breathing

WORKSAFEBC – WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BOARD OF B.C.
HEREBY GIVES NOTICE OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATION (BC Reg. 296/97, as amended)
The proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (“OHSR”) pertain to the
following items. There is an additional proposal for Part 16, Mobile Equipment.
• Part 4, General Conditions – relating to a third option to protect workers assigned to work alone in a late night
retail premises.This third option is proposed because some employers have found it impracticable to install
barriers to separate workers from the public or alternatively employ two workers on shift during late night hours;
• Part 6, Substance Specific Requirements; and consequential amendments to Part 20, Construction, Excavation
and Demolition – relating to updating asbestos requirements;
• Part 6, Substance Specific Requirements – relating to updating the reference to the Pesticide Control Act;
• Part 9, Confined Spaces – relating to clarifying that atmospheric testing must be conducted by a qualified
person;
• Part 12, Tools, Machinery and Equipment – relating to safer driven-feed mobile chipper requirements;
• Part 14, Cranes and Hoists – relating to updating the reference to the Elevating Devices Safety Act;
• Part 15, Rigging – relating to clarifying the correct number of wire rope clips to be used in wire rope splices;
• Part 16, Mobile Equipment – relating to the requirement for trailer units with a dump box to have a permanently
affixed mechanical device capable of supporting the empty box in the raised position;
• Part 16, Mobile Equipment – relating to permitting a worker riding on a rear-mounted work platform to retrieve
traffic cones when the vehicle is backing up;
• Part 20, Construction, Excavation and Demolition – relating to new requirements that concrete pumps and
placing booms meet the requirements of CSA Standard Z151-09;
• Part 23, Oil and Gas – relating to updating the reference to the Power Engineers and Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Safety Act;
• Part 28, Agriculture – relating to the requirement for rollover protective structures on agricultural tractors;
• Removal from the OHSR of the requirements for “prior approval” or “prior permission” before proceeding with
certain types of work or using certain work arrangements. The sections identified for change by identifying
specific requirements or referencing standards are as follows: Part 5, Chemical Agents and Biological Agents,
relating to extended work periods; Part 14, Cranes and Hoists, relating to chimney hoists; Part 19, Electrical
Safety, relating to high voltage; Part 21, Blasting Operations, relating to mobile drill rigs;
• Removal from the OHSR of the requirements for “acceptable to the Board” before proceeding with certain types
of work or using certain work arrangements. The sections identified are in Part 6, Substance Specific
Requirements, and relate to: the removal of asbestos debris and acceptance from the Board; posting warning
signs and acceptance from the Board; and monitors and alarms for equipment and machinery and acceptance
from the Board.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
You are invited to provide feedback on the proposed regulatory amendments. Your views may be presented
orally at the public hearings and/or submitted in writing. Please register if you wish to make an oral
presentation at the public hearings by telephoning 604-232-7744 or toll free in BC 1-866-614-7744 prior
to the hearing.
Information on the proposed amendments and the public hearings, including details of registration/
participation procedures, are on WorkSafeBC’s website at www.worksafebc.com.
PUBLIC HEARING DETAILS
Date
May 3, 2011
May 10, 2011
May 12, 2011
May 31, 2011
June 2, 2011
Session Times:

WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS
The deadline for receipt of written submissions is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2011. Written submissions can be
made online or via e-mail, fax, mail, or delivered at the public hearings
during the session times.
Online:
via the WorkSafeBC website at www.worksafebc.com
E-mail:
regquery@worksafebc.com
Fax:
604-279-7599; or toll-free in BC: 1-877-279-7599
Mail:
Policy and Research Division
WorkSafeBC – Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.
P.O. Box 5350, Station Terminal
Vancouver, BC V6B 5L5

as well as sneezing.
The kidneys also play
a role in our immune system so when the kidneys
are weak, our immunity is
affected.
In the case of hay fever, this manifests as a hyper-reactive immune response.
The more severe the
kidney deficiency, the
more frequently the allergic reactions are experienced- this includes yearround allergies to things
such as dust, fungus, or
animals.
A kidney deficiency
leaves the body susceptible to external environmental invasions, leading
to an invasion of wind in
the nose, and this is when
allergy symptoms begin
to occur.
Wind-cold pattern will
produce symptoms of
sneezing, profuse runny
nose with white-watery
discharge, pale complexion, stuffed nose, slight
headache and no thirst.
Wind-heat pattern will
lead to sneezing, runny
nose with white-watery
discharge, itchy throat,
itchy red eyes, and slight
thirst.

During allergy season, frequent acupuncture
treatments focus on alleviating the symptoms experienced and often yield
a quick response.
Patients may notice
a decrease in their nose
stuffiness, sneezes, and
number of itching episodes around the eyes,
as well as an increase in
overall energy levels.
Outside of allergy season, treatments may be
less frequent and focus
on correcting the underlying imbalance in order to
strengthen the body and
boost the immune system
in order to prevent future
allergic reactions from reoccurring.
Acupuncture offers effective relief for hay fever,
either as an alternative to
conventional methods of
treatment, or in conjunction with them, and for
sufferers of hay fever, is
well worth considering.
James Kaufman is a
registered acupuncturist at Okanagan Acupuncture Centre, 1625 Ellis St.
250-861-8863
www.okanagan
acupuncture.com

▼ UBCO

Charity web sites
get revamped
UBC students taking
a third-year Human Computer Interaction course
have been working with
seven non-profit organizations in the Okanagan to
revamp their web sites.
In teams of three, students have spent the last
few months gathering information on their assigned community organization and conducting
a detailed analysis of the
web site, its users, and its
functionality. The goal is
to leave the non-profits
with a more user-friendly and effective web site
from both technical and
user viewpoints.
The student teams presented their redesigns to
the partnering organizations on Tuesday.
“Our objective was to
deliver a web site that was
clean, attractive and met
the needs of both the clients and service providers,” said UBC student
Ryan Trenholm, whose
group worked with the KiLow-Na Friendship Society.
“It was a great experience—a lot of work, but

in the end we learned a lot,
especially about the user
perspective of web design
and the consultation process.”
The project was partially funded by Interior Savings through their
Community Investment
Fund. The seven nonprofit organizations involved are:
• Ki-Low-Na Friendship
Society
• Project Literacy Kelowna Society
• Kelowna and District
Society for Community
Living
• Central Okanagan Food
Policy Council
• Central Okanagan Hospice Association
• Central Okanagan Community Gardens
• Peachland Wellness
Centre
“The students’ enthusiasm and energy was wonderful. They paid careful
attention to detail, took a
creative approach that was
outside the box, and delivered a very positive experience,” said Barb Hagan,
executive director of Project Literacy Kelowna.